mentions:
Igor Stravinsky ~ Oedipus Rex
date & photographer unknown
Showing posts with label Igor Stravinsky. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Igor Stravinsky. Show all posts
June 20, 2024
June 17, 2024
20,000 vinyl LPs 365: Igor Stravinsky ~ Oedipus Rex
~
vinyl LP front cover
Graphics design – Zdeněk Ziegler
photo of album cover by Styrous®
Today is the birthday of Russian composer, Igor Stravinsky who was born on June 7, 1882, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Oedipus rex was written towards the beginning of Stravinsky's neoclassical
period, and is considered one of the finest works from this phase of
the composer's career. I personally think he is the greatest of the
modern composers; some may disagree but then life is subjective after
all.
Under construction
Igor Stravinsky ~ Oedipus rex
vinyl LP back cover
Graphics design – Zdeněk Ziegler
photo of album cover by Styrous®
This recording of Oedipus rex is a stereo recording, however, it was recorded during the period of transition from monaural to stereo. The cover was printed for the mono version so a sticker was added to adjust for that.
vinyl LP front cover detail
Graphics design – Zdeněk Ziegler
detail photo by Styrous®
John Green talks on Crash Course about one of the least family-friendly family dramas in the history of family dramas, Oedipus rex that is informational and very hysterical. Peter Sellars discusses the myths and rituals surrounding the Oedipus legend (links below).
There are dozens of outstanding videos of performances of Oedipus rex on YouTube. I've linked to my favorites below; each has startling sets and costumes.
libretto
Igor Stravinsky ~ Oedipus rex
vinyl LP libretto cover
Graphics design – Zdeněk Ziegler
photo by Styrous®
vinyl LP libretto back cover
Graphics design – Zdeněk Ziegler
photographer unknown
photo of libretto by Styrous®
Tracklist:
Side 1:
Side 1:
Oedipus Rex - Opera-Oratorio After Sophocles
A Part 1
A Part 1
Side 2:
B Part 2
Companies, etc.
Credits:
Chorus – Czech Philharmonic Chorus
Chorus Master – Josef Veselka
Composed By – Igor Stravinsky
Conductor – Karel Ančerl
Edited By, Engineer – František Burda
Graphics – Zdeněk Ziegler
Liner Notes – Jaroslav Smolka
Orchestra – Czech Philharmonic Orchestra*
Recording Supervisor – Dr. Ladislav Šíp*
Translated By – Jean Danielou*
Voice Actor [Creon] – Karel Bermann*
Voice Actor [Jocasta] – Věra Soukupová
Voice Actor [Oedipus] – Ivo Žídek
Voice Actor [Speaker] – Jean Desailly
Voice Actor [The Messenger] – Zdeněk Kroupa
Voice Actor [The Shepherd] – Antonín Zlesák
Voice Actor [Tiresias] – Eduard Haken
Written-By – Jean Cocteau
Notes:
℗ 1966 (label info)
(C) 1966 (sleeve info)
Gatefold sleeve w. Liner Notes in English, Russian, German & French
cont. 4-page-inlet w. Libretto in Latin
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Rights Society: BIEM
Price Code: G
Other (Manufacturing Code): 66 2
Other (side 1): E 729
Other (side 2): E 730
Styrous® ~ Monday, June 17, 2024
Price Code: G
Other (Manufacturing Code): 66 2
Other (side 1): E 729
Other (side 2): E 730
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
Britannica ~.
Cliff'sNotes ~ Play Summary Oedipus the King
The Collector ~ Oedipus Rex dramatically depicted through 13 works of art
Project Gutenberg ~ EBook of Oedipus King of Thebes, by Sophocles
SparkNotes ~ Oedipus Rex
YouTube links:
Igor Stravinsky ~ Oedipus rex
~
Crash Course ~ Fate, Family, and Oedipus Rex
Peter Sellars ~ Oedipus Rex: Stravinsky Myths & Rituals
February 24, 2020
Fats Domino ~ 1987 Lifetime Achievement Award
~
Styrous® ~ Monday, February 24, 2020
On February 24, 1987, Fats Domino received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 29th annual Grammy Awards. It was two days before his birthday; what a great birthday present.
Fats Domino with the 1987 Lifetime Achievement Award
photo by Skip Bolen
Three weeks later, school children from the Frikkemas School in Sneek, northern Netherlands,
vied with each other for singer Domino's signature after he arrived at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam on March 13, 1987.
Fats Domino - March 13, 1987
Schiphol airport, Amsterdam
Also receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award that year were Roy Acuff, Benny Carter, Enrico Caruso, Ray Charles, Woody Herman, Billie Holiday, B.B. King, Isaac Stern, Igor Stravinsky, Arturo Toscanini, and Hank Williams.
Thirty years later, Fats Domino died from natural causes on October 24, 2017, at his home in Harvey, Louisiana; he was 89 years old.
Viewfinder links:
Benny Carter
Enrico Caruso
Ray Charles
Fats Domino
Woody Herman
Billie Holiday
B.B. King
Igor Stravinsky
Arturo Toscanini
Enrico Caruso
Ray Charles
Fats Domino
Woody Herman
Billie Holiday
B.B. King
Igor Stravinsky
Arturo Toscanini
Net links:
Grammy Awards ~ Fats Domino, Rock And Roll Icon, Dies
Hits Daily Double ~ Fats Domino 1928-2017 obit
Hits Daily Double ~ Fats Domino 1928-2017 obit
NY Times ~ TV Reviews; 'Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Show'
Radio Swiss Jazz ~ Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino Jr. bio
Waldina ~ Happy 91st Birthday Fats Domino 2019
Radio Swiss Jazz ~ Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino Jr. bio
Waldina ~ Happy 91st Birthday Fats Domino 2019
YouTube link:
July 3, 2019
1,001 LaserDiscs 12: Ken Russell ~ Gustav Holst's The Planets
Today, July 3, is the birthday of British film director, Ken Russell who was born in Southampton, England, in 1927. He is best known for his Oscar-winning film Women in Love (1969), The Devils (1971), Tommy by The Who (1975), and the science fiction film Altered States (1980). Russell also directed several films based on the lives of classical music composer: Elgar, Delius, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, and Liszt.
photo by Styrous®
The Planets is a seven-movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1916. Each movement of the suite is named after a planet of the Solar System and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst.
The premiere was at the Queen's Hall on 29 September 1918, conducted by Holst's friend Adrian Boult before an invited audience of about 250 people. The first complete public performance was finally given in London by Albert Coates conducting the London Symphony Orchestra on November 15, 1920.
photo by Styrous®
Each movement is intended to convey ideas and emotions associated with the influence of the planets on the psyche, not the Roman deities. The idea of the work was suggested to Holst by Clifford Bax, who introduced him to astrology when the two were part of a small group of English artists holidaying in Majorca in the spring of 1913.
When composing The Planets Holst initially scored the work for four hands, two pianos, except for Neptune, which was scored for a single organ,
as Holst believed that the sound of the piano was too percussive for a
world as mysterious and distant as Neptune. Holst then scored the suite
for a large orchestra.
The influence of contemporary composers such as Igor Stravinsky and Arnold Schoenberg, as well as late Russian romantics Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Glazunov can be heard.
The visuals were chosen by Russell to illustrate associations with the The Planets written, it should be remembered, before the discovery of the planet Pluto.
The influence of contemporary composers such as Igor Stravinsky and Arnold Schoenberg, as well as late Russian romantics Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Glazunov can be heard.
John Williams used the melodies and instrumentation of Mars as the inspiration for his soundtrack for the Star Wars films (specifically The Imperial March).
LaserDisc back cover detail
detail photo by Styrous®
In the late-1980s, Russell directed the music video for It's All Coming Back to Me Now, a song written and produced by Jim Steinman for his project with the female pop group, Pandora's Box. The production featured a range of erotic imagery, including studded bras and spiked codpieces. He'd also directed the Elton John video for Nikita which featured a bit of John wearing the same boots he wore as the Pinball Wizard in the film adaptation of Tommy by The Who.
The films of Ken Russell are often surreal as witness the YouTube links (below). Russell died on November 27, 2011, at the age of 84 after a series of strokes.
Viewfinder links:
Adolph Hitler
Gustav Holst
Elton John
Arnold Schoenberg
Star Wars
Jim Steinman
Igor Stravinsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
The Who
John Williams
Net links:
John Coulthart ~ The Planets by Ken Russell
Music Web ~ Ken Russell’s view of The Planets
Jeffery Schrier website
YouTube links:
Ken Russell ~
The Planets ~ Jupiter
The Boyfriend
Dance of the Seven Veils (1970) complete (57 min., 29 sec.)
A Kitten For Hitler (8 min., 21 sec.)
The Music Lovers ~ 1812 Overture
The Films of Ken Russell (15 min.)
Ken Russell: Sex, God and Tchaikovsky (15 min., 19 sec.)
Ken Russell on his filmmaking career (45 min., 23 sec.)
William Friedkin ~ Ken Russell's The Devils
Ken Russell ~ Gustav Holst's The Planets LaserDisc is for sale on eBay
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1,001 LaserDiscs archive MAIN MENU - Blog Articles
~
August 27, 2017
Igor Stravinsky articles/mentions
Igor Stravinsky - ca 1920
Photo: G. L. Manuel frères
The Mothers Of Invention ~ Absolutely Free
Carl Orff ~
Carmina Burana
Carmina Burana á Manzarek
Ken Russell ~ Gustav Holst's The Planets
Gunther Schuller & Third Stream jazz
Tchaikovsky ~ 1812 Overture
August 25, 2017
Gunther Schuller & Third Stream jazz
~
Third Stream jazz is a term coined in 1957 by composer Gunther Schuller to describe a musical genre that is a synthesis of classical music and jazz.
After World War II in Europe and the United States there was a period of artistic experimentalism. Like the period in France after the Franco-Prussian War (Impressionism) and in the late 19th century, the pre/post World War I period of (Expressionism), the post World War I period of Modernism
was no different with composers trying to 'write music for the sake of
music' and not attaching it to a social meaning or meant for a social
cause (see Darmstadt School).
photographer unknown
Schuller insisted that "by definition there is no such thing as 'Third Stream Jazz'".
He noted that while purists on both sides of Third Stream
objected to tainting their favorite music with the other, more strenuous
objections were typically made by jazz musicians who felt such efforts
were "an assault on their traditions." Schuller wrote that "by
designating the music as a 'separate, Third Stream,' the other two
mainstreams could go about their way unaffected by the attempts at
fusion."
Because Third Stream draws on classical as much as jazz, it is
generally required that composers and performers be proficient in both
genres.
Critics argued that Third Stream—by drawing on two very different
styles—dilutes the power of each in combining them. Others reject such
notions, and consider Third Stream an interesting musical development.
In 1981, Schuller offered a list of "What Third Stream is not":
- It is not jazz with strings.
- It is not jazz played on 'classical' instruments.
- It is not classical music played by jazz players.
- It is not inserting a bit of Ravel or Schoenberg between be-bop changes—nor the reverse.
- It is not jazz in fugal form.
- It is not a fugue played by jazz players.
- It is not designed to do away with jazz or classical music; it is just another option amongst many for today’s creative musicians.
Schuller suggested that a similar fusion was made by Béla Bartók, who earned great acclaim after incorporating elements of Hungarian folk music into his music, which had earlier been heavily influenced by Claude Debussy and Richard Strauss.
photographer unknown
Attempts to integrate jazz and classical music began in the early 1900s
almost as soon as the former became recognised as a distinct style of
music. Some ragtime music drew upon classical music, and symphonic pieces such as Rhapsody In Blue (1924) (link below), by George Gershwin, blended jazz and symphonic music. The piece La création du monde by French composer Darius Milhaud includes jazz-inspired elements, including a jazz fugue. Igor Stravinsky drew upon jazz for several compositions, such as Ragtime, Piano-Rag-Music and the Ebony Concerto (the last composed for jazz clarinetist Woody Herman and his orchestra in 1945) (link below). Other notable composers who utilized jazz elements in at least a few compositions include Maurice Ravel, Bohuslav Martinů, Paul Hindemith, William Grant Still, George Antheil, Aaron Copland, Ernst Krenek, Kurt Weill, Dmitri Shostakovich, Morton Gould, and Leonard Bernstein. Though few of these examples can be strictly classified as Third Stream as they do not involve improvisation, they do demonstrate that there was widespread mutual interest and appreciation between the jazz and classical traditions.
The work of Duke Ellington has often been recognized as being among the early efforts to
blend the elements associated with both genres. His music has been
described as sharing characteristics with that of classical composers
such as Delius, Debussy, and Ravel, particularly in impressionistic mood pieces such as Mood Indigo (link below), Dusk, and Reflections in D, as well as in more extended composed
works such as Creole Rhapsody, Reminiscing in Tempo and The
Tattooed Bride. These tendencies were also shared by his frequent
co-composer Billy Strayhorn.
KFG Radio Studio - November 3, 1954
photographer unknown
photographer unknown
The Afro-British composer Reginald Foresythe was one of the first
musicians to combine the two genres from the early 1930s
onwards. Branding his style "The New Music", his compositions, such as Garden of Weed, Serenade for a Wealthy Widow and the Bach-influenced Dodging A Divorcee were received well by critics but poorly by the
British public, who were baffled by its radical style. However,
Foresythe's music found a warmer welcome in America, particularly among black musicians, resulting in collaborations with Duke Ellington, Earl Hines and Benny Goodman.
photographer unknown
Pianist Art Tatum drew upon elements of classical technique and recorded jazz versions of short pieces by European composers such as Antonín Dvořák (link below), Jules Massenet, and Anton Rubinstein.
photographer unknown
Another important jazz-classical fusion was Interlude in B-flat by Artie Shaw recorded in 1935 with the most unusual ensemble
of a string quartet, a jazz rhythm section, and Shaw on clarinet and saxophone (link below).
Much of the Charles Mingus
oeuvre before and after the coining of the term "Third Stream"
parallels Schuller's idea. Indeed, the title of Mingus' two-part album Jazzical Moods
(1955), a blend of "jazz" and "classical," may have helped to inspire
Schuller; the two men were also friends. The immense final work, Epitaph, by Mingus was edited and premiered at Lincoln Center in 1989 by Schuller.
Charles Mingus - 1960
photographer unknown
Despite the early examples noted above, critic Scott Yanow writes, "it was not until the mid-to-late '50s that more serious experiments began to take place. Schuller, J. J. Johnson, John Lewis and Bill Russo were some of the more significant composers attempting to bridge the gap between jazz and classical music."
A great example of this is the John Lewis composition for the 1961 production for the San Francisco Ballet, Original Sin, which I will never forget seeing for both the music and the dancing. Produced under the direction of Lew Christensen,
it featured Adam and Eve in flesh-tone body tights with a brilliant
lighting design that made them appear nude. Of course, 10 years later,
dancers actually DID dance nude in ballet. Somehow, the earlier
incarnation seemed more stimulating; funny how that works.
vinyl LP front cover
Yanow also suggests that the impact of Third Stream music was blunted by the rise of free jazz in the late 1950s, which overtook Third Stream as the leading development in jazz. Schuller was heavily involved with the Columbia Records LPs Music For Brass (1957) and Modern Jazz Concert (1958), later re-issued to become what is known as the recording Birth Of The Third Stream (now as CD). The recording greatly helped to push the concept and legitimacy of the style and approach to this music.
Jazz composer and producer Teo Macero, who went on to produce Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck, was influenced by the Third Stream movement. Other notable examples of the style include Lewis's Modern Jazz Quartet and solo efforts, Teddy Charles, Don Ellis, Gil Evans, Bill Russo, George Russell, Brubeck and his brother, Howard Brubeck, Jacques Loussier and his Play Bach Trio, Jimmy Giuffre, Toshiko Akiyoshi, David Amram, Ran Blake, David Baker, and Bob Graettinger. Lewis was instrumental in arranging for Atlantic Records to record Schuller's Jazz Abstractions in 1960 featuring Jim Hall, Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy and Bill Evans. Many free jazz composers and performers, such as Cecil Taylor, Anthony Braxton, Yitzhak Yedid, the band Oregon, and Sun Ra, were also influenced by the Third Stream school.
Fred Tompkins,
has forged a style which seems to enjoy the benefits of fully notated
composition, while also capturing the strong, propulsive essence of
jazz. His early works were often accompanied by the drumming of Elvin Jones and then by other drummers from New York or St. Louis.
photographer unknown
Examples of recordings that synthesize composed and improvised music are the albums Miles Ahead, Porgy and Bess and Sketches of Spain by Miles Davis and Gil Evans; European Windows and the film soundtrack Music from Odds Against Tomorrow by John Lewis; Extension by Clare Fischer (as well as the orchestral portions of the Cal Tjader West Side Story and Cal Tjader Plays Harold Arlen, both arranged by Fischer), Focus and Stan Getz Plays Music from the Soundtrack of Mickey One by Getz and Eddie Sauter; Perceptions by Dizzy Gillespie and J. J. Johnson; Alegría by Wayne Shorter; Scorched by Mark-Anthony Turnage and John Scofield; Wide Angles by Michael Brecker, and Myth of the Cave by Yitzhak Yedid.
These albums feature a soloist improvising in a jazz style over a
complex composed background. The music of American classical composer Charles Ives has been utilized in this way in the 2014 release Mists: Charles Ives for Jazz Orchestra.
Composer Krzysztof Penderecki experimented with compositionally guided free jazz improvisation in his Actions for Free Jazz Orchestra. Hans Werner Henze also brought free jazz into his compositions—-notably, in Der langwierige Weg in die Wohnung der Natascha Ungeheuer—-though some may consider his use of jazz to be more incorporated texture than synthesis.
photographer unknown
Presently, the contemporary Ukrainian composer-pianist Nikolai Kapustin writes fully notated music in a jazz idiom that fuses the Russian piano tradition with the virtuosic styles of Tatum, Oscar Peterson, and others.
Viewfinder links:
Leonard Bernstein
Eric Dolphy
Antonín Dvořák
Duke Ellington
George Gershwin
Dizzy Gillespie
Benny Goodman
Stan Kenton ~ City of Glass & Third Stream jazz
Teo Macero
photographer unknown
Viewfinder links:
Leonard Bernstein
Eric Dolphy
Antonín Dvořák
Duke Ellington
George Gershwin
Dizzy Gillespie
Benny Goodman
Stan Kenton ~ City of Glass & Third Stream jazz
Teo Macero
Art Tatum
Cal Tjader
Kurt Weill
Net links:
Gunther Schuller:
The World According to Gunther Schuller
Multiple Streams
Cal Tjader
Kurt Weill
Net links:
Gunther Schuller:
The World According to Gunther Schuller
Multiple Streams
YouTube links:
Béla Bartók ~ Hungarian Folk Melodies for Violin
Duke Ellington ~ Mood Indigo
Reginald Foresythe ~ Garden of Weed
George Gershwin ~ Rhapsody In Blue
John Lewis ~ Original Sin:
Creation Of The World And Creation Of Adam
Charles Mingus ~ Jazzical Moods (various selections)
Camille Saint-Saëns ~ Danse Macabre
Artie Shaw ~ Interlude in B-flat
Igor Stravinsky ~ Ebony Concerto (with Benny Goodman)
Art Tatum ~ Humoresque by Dvorak
with Louis Andriessen on Creativity (1 hour, 25 minutes)
Béla Bartók ~ Hungarian Folk Melodies for Violin
Duke Ellington ~ Mood Indigo
Reginald Foresythe ~ Garden of Weed
George Gershwin ~ Rhapsody In Blue
John Lewis ~ Original Sin:
Creation Of The World And Creation Of Adam
Charles Mingus ~ Jazzical Moods (various selections)
Camille Saint-Saëns ~ Danse Macabre
Artie Shaw ~ Interlude in B-flat
Igor Stravinsky ~ Ebony Concerto (with Benny Goodman)
Art Tatum ~ Humoresque by Dvorak
with Louis Andriessen on Creativity (1 hour, 25 minutes)
with David Amram: "O Pioneers!" (1 hour, 2 minutes)
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